First successful aerial color photo
graphs published used the new Finlay
process. They were made in 1930 by my
son Melville, who started working with
cameras at age 11. Flying in U. S. dirigi
bles to avoid the vibration of airplanes,
he captured unique views of the Statue
of Liberty and the U. S. Capitol.
Red-green-and-blue checkerboard un
der the microscope, the Finlay screen had
175 lines to the inch. Its increased speed
permitted color aerials for the first time.
far as to predict in print that "people will tire
of photographic reproduction, and those mag
azines will find most favor which lead in orig
inal art." This same editor once told me that
he-and the public!-considered our halftone
photoengravings "vulgar" and preferred steel
engravings costing $100 a plate. Our half
tones, made by the Levy process, now univer
sal, cost us $7 to $8 for a full-page picture.
I rejected the conservative view, and it was
like striking gold in my own backyard when
I found Government agencies would lend me
plates from their publications. I illustrated
numerous articles in this way. For example,
plates from the U. S. Bureau of Education
illustrated my article on "Reindeer in Alaska"
in the April, 1903, issue.
Sometimes, if I had suitable photographs
and enough money, I contracted for photoen
gravings. A popular feature of 1903, Dr. Bell's
article on "The Tetrahedral Principle in Kite
Structure," was accompanied by many photo
graphs. A later article by him, "Aerial Loco
motion" (January, 1907), proved even more
popular. These papers, incidentally, marked
564
the beginning of the GEOGRAPHIC'S long and
authoritative coverage of aviation.
Your Society's much-traveled flag was born
in this period. Elsie Grosvenor designed it for
the 1903 Ziegler Polar Expedition. We both
wanted an emblem that could be instantly
recognized, and she chose the now-familiar
stripes of blue, brown, and green-for sky,
earth, and sea-with "National Geographic
Society" in large capital letters.
Society Acquires a Headquarters
Late in 1903 the Society moved into a
handsome new headquarters given it by the
family of Gardiner Greene Hubbard-an ex
pression of confidence in the future. Today
the structure appears modest and small; we
use it as our library. Sixty years ago, however,
it seemed like the Taj Mahal, and it gave a
picture of affluence hardly warranted by the
Society's circumstances. By the end of 1904
we had 3,662 members, not enough for good
financial health. I resolved to take some cal
culated risks in the new year 1905, knowing
they would make us or break us.